Ukrainian Military Commander Dismissed After Soldiers Left Starving on the Front

SadaNews - Ukraine announced on Friday evening the dismissal of a military unit commander after images emerged showing soldiers suffering from emaciation due to being left starving for months on the front lines without adequate food and water supplies, which sparked outrage across the country.

A woman believed to be the wife of one of the soldiers from this unit shared photos depicting three soldiers with long beards who had lost significant weight and had protruding ribs.

The unit had been stationed in the Kharkiv region in the northeast of the country since August 25, where supplies were reaching them, as Anastasia Selychuk wrote on social media, "God willing," adding, "and every 10 to 15 days approximately without water or food."

She revealed that the soldiers were drinking rainwater and melting snow during the winter.

Military journalists and public Ukrainian figures received the news with intense anger.

Correspondent Anna Kaliugina wrote on social media, "I never imagined that our military leadership would bring our army to such a level of shame. Our soldiers look as if they are returning from Russian captivity."

The Ukrainian General Staff announced on Friday the dismissal of the unit commander, accusing him of "hiding the reality of the situation."

It added in a social media post, "We lost a number of positions and a series of errors were made in estimating the soldiers' supplies," pointing to "a problem with food supplies at one of the locations."

The unit is engaged in battles around the Oskil River in the Kupiansk region in northeastern Ukraine.

Ukraine clarified that supplies are being transferred to the forces on that front using drones and boats to cross the waterway, which is under Russian fire.

The Ukrainian army reported on Friday that food supplies were delivered to the unit, adding, "If conditions permit, the troops will be evacuated immediately."

The new commander of the unit, Taras Maximov, made an online call to the soldiers after his appointment, promising to relieve them from duty as soon as the weather allows.

One soldier told him during the call published by Ukrainian media, "Help us get out of here, and everything will be alright."